The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life and best overall performance.

If you notice unusual tire wear or your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment may need to be reset. If you notice your vehicle vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels may need to be rebalanced.

Tire rotation is very important. Tires should be rotated every 6,000 miles.

Every tire has several words that describe it's quality rating. Learn what these Tire Ratings Mean.

The tire size is a combination of letters and numbers used to define a particular tire's width, height, aspect ratio, construction type, and service description.Learn what all those letters and numbers mean in Tire Size Description.

One way to tell when it is time for new tires is to check the tread wear indicators, which will appear when your tires have only 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or less of tread remaining. Examples

Tires need to be properly inflated at all times. Dont let anyone tell that a little less air pressure or a little more is OK and can give some kinds of advantages over having the correct pressure. Here are some examples of what Improper Inflation (over or under inflation) can do.

When it is time to get new tires, it is very important to get the same style, type, and size as the original. This is even more important with a 4 wheel drive, or all-wheel drive truck or SUV. Learn More Here.

;

More Auto Repair Answers, Questions And Help

World Of Wheels Electrical Testing Belt Diagrams Mustang Engine Overhaul All about Tires

AmericanMuscle provides a great resource with their Tire Size Calculator. The tool allows you to calculate what happens to your car's speedometer when you change your wheel and tire size.

Visitor: This is an argument I have with a friend. I have an engineering degree. The tire pressure label gives average load pressures if you are carrying extra weight. You need to increase the pressure to get proper contact with the road. At this time I can't give you the reference book that is covered in. That in part is why the tire pressure listed on the tires is different then the door tag. If you place a pressure pad under the tire with max vehicle load ( such as a service truck that is never unloaded ) you will see more load near the sidewalls less in center for best tire performance and wear. The load needs to be consistent across the tread.

I have a 68 Dodge Charger with none spec tires ( wide ) on the rear with the door label pressure in them. On a burn out the road mark is only half the with of the tires. The low budget way I found to find max performance pressure was try different tire pressure on burn outs for my car and load 18.5 psi with the tires I was running gave full contact. This is a case for lower pressure. ( none average usage ). One size fits all statements leave room for errors. A note should be added. My friend I mentioned is a certified mechanic. I am an engineer tech.

Look at Nascar if you don't believe me. They change the tire pressure on the cars during the race for performance and wear it is not one thing fits all.

Thank you for the insight.The reason for a tire with proper pressure (from the car label) to only contact half the road during a burn out can be related to Top fuel dragsters. During acceleration the tire expands its circumference ( it gets taller)due to centrifugal force. Thus, the tire contact area is skinnier. The tire pressure label is a happy medium for maximum contact, long tire life and fuel economy.

Visitor: I said Nascar where the tires are not spinning but for a drag car you will see bald in center and tread on edges after much use. If there is the narrow burn out ( with my 500hp charger) 18.5 psi left full width black marks spinning or breaking. Note these were none spec tires so spec pressure does not apply. The science is important when you exceed standards. Take the vehicle weight per tire and the surface area in contact with road. The pressure times the surface area should equal the weight. Otherwise you are sitting on the sidewalls breaking them down or the tire balloons up if over pressure and you are only on the center of tire. Note you should not exceed vehicle or tire max. These are just faint memories from my college days long ago.